Chico school board puts off plan review

CHICO >> A much awaited discussion of the final draft of the Chico Unified School District's master plan,was tabled almost before it began Wednesday night.

The discussion of the 104-page document was on board of trustees' agenda, but when it came up after three hours of other items, board Vice President Andrea Thompson, who was chairing the meeting, said the plan was too voluminous and hour too late to begin a review of such an important subject.

The "final draft" of the master plan is the document that is to chart the course of district's construction, growth, and renovation through 2024.

When the item was called, Marty Dietz of Darden Architects, head of the consultant team who had spent months preparing and writing the plan, told the board he and his team members were at the meeting to answer questions.

He went on to say the creation of the plan had included visits to every campus, discussions with parents, faculty and staff and Dietz described the document as "pretty well vetted."

Thompson, who was chairing the meeting because board President Kathy Kaiser was absent, said she appreciated the consultants' hard work.

"Marty,you guys have been just troopers and produced an excellent product," said Thompson.

Saying that, Thompson went on to recommend the review of the plan to be put off to workshop meeting at a later date.

The other board members voted unanimously to table the discussion to a later date.

Kelly Staley, the CUSD superintendent, said the workshop would be set for a yet to be determined date in April.

To see an electronic copy of the Chico Unified School District's draft master plan go to http://goo.gl/sPvW9u on the Internet.